Tuesday, October 18, 2011

hi all, i am using my daughter's labtop for the moment, as my labtop mother board has been damaged in some way. It is sweet of her to take a briefer from doing her college studies for a few hours, to let me update my blog. Well another start of the week for my hemo treatment. Every thing is going well, but i see that tech is having her moody issues once again, but i am going to simply ignore her, but she better not say anything to tick me off, because i ain't havin it this early in the morning. This morning i am simply sitting and observing, pts. coming in late, and this one couple, that i truly admire, i watched the wife go through the usual routine, she would be ahead of her husband, whom i guess is busy weighing himself. She rolls the suitcase in, and starts to unload his blankets, a neck pillow and another pillow for his back, she also has his book read, and his own personal cup to place his crush ice in. I just sit there, and watch all this, and said to myself, he is so lucky to have her in his life, especially at how devoted she is, because although most of us have a family member or loved one accompany us to the unit, most don't stay, as my husband only stays to make sure i am hooked up and running smoothly, and then he will leave, especially, it being so early in the morning, (5:30 AM) to be exact, he wants to go back home and get his sleep on and i don't blame him, (because he doesn't get off work every night until 11:30 PM). Remember, i mentioned in a previous blog, that she was so attentive to her husband, getting the partition so that he could do his business in private. I am jealous, because he still urinates somewhat. I truly don't urinate that much at all, a tinkle here, a tinkle there, not enough to say that i am peeing. (lol). I remember back during my pre-dialysis days, when i couldn't control my bladder, it was so out of control, that i had a very embarassing moment at work, which was a true wakeup call, that i need to start dialysis as soon as possible. Something that i share in my 2nd book - My Twenty Year Journey with PKD in the Dialysis World. Well, back to my thinking, one of the RN was curious to know, when will i be scheduled for surgery, and then I said in a vicioious tone, what! are you tired of me being here or something, and she said while laughing, No! i was told that you were only on hemo temporary, so i assumed you would have had your hernia repaired by now, so she continued by asking, what is the reason why they haven't scheduled your surgery. I remarked to her with, i guess you aren't aware of what has transpired since my return to hemo, and she responded i guess not, i continued by giving her the low down on what i have been enduring since my return. I first told her that, my dry weight had to be challenged, because when i transition from PD to Hemo, my dry weight was 52kg, but through the course of the weeks, my renal case manager, ask the RN and PCT to challenge my dry weight, and for some reason, they seem to not be able to reach my dry weight, as i didn't experience the usual drop in b/p or those excruiating cramps in my legs, which most of the time, would indicate that i have reached my dry weight. Because of not being able to target my dry weight, i began to experience breathing difficulty, in which the RN examined my lungs, and informed me that my left side sound diminished. This was on a Saturday, and that night i began to have more breathing difficulty, to the point, that i had to sleep on top of three pillows, to even get a good night sleep. Now, i am aware of the signs of fluid overload from my previous ten year run with hemo. I couldn't breath very well doing the day, so i seek attention at ER, and they did a ct-scan, which showed that i had an excessive amount of fluid around my lungs, and i also had a collapsed lung as well. I was hospitalized for several days, and my target weight was challenged to the point, that i was down to 45kg. Also the ct-scan showed that my adrenal gland was producing way too many hormones, (causing my elevated b/p levels), and also my neph said that i need to have a kidney removed as well. the great thing about this ct-scan is, when i have my adrenal gland removed, i may not need to take so much b/p controlling meds, or i may not even have to take any b/p meds anymore, and that would truly be wonderful, so we will see, when this will all transpire, so the nurse just said, you sure have a great deal on your plate at this present time, and i responded with, yes i know, and i have more that i can write about and share with others, who could be faced with these very same issues on hemo. i also responded with, they also told me that my heart function had decreased, and i wasn't aware of this on PD, because of the fact, that i wasn't having all this shortness of breathe issues, as a matter of a fact, i feel, all this happen during the early month of my return to hemo. I am sitting and looking at those four other people that were sporting a catherer at the time that i started back on hemo, and they are using their grafts and fistulas now, and i am still sitting here using this sometime responding catherer, when will this nightmare end, so that i can return to PD. I miss it so, but yes, there are some advantages on hemo, such as some of the meds, that i have temporary stopped - such as potassium supplements, iron, sodium bicarbonate, and those EPO shots, that are required for PD, so yes, maybe i can be greatful for that, right! and of course, no nightly hookup to the cycler, but having this catherer in my chest is a kill joy. i can't sport any of my large necklaces, i had been wearing a tiny cross pendant necklace. And don't talk about my wardrobe, i am subjected to wearing camisoles underneath a button in the front blouse or shirt, so that it would be easy to get to my catherer with no difficulty, but you know me, i try my best to stay in style as much as i can. I have even invested in the last several months, many colors of camisoles of lace and varies styles. Also because of hemo, i have been wearing a great deal of slip on flats. Well enough about that, i am getting a little disgusted, because my surgery has been put on hold for so long. Well that is about it for now, until next blog, i hope i have some news about my surgery finally being scheduled. I hope to God, that i am not still on hemo, during thanksgiving holiday week. The unit secretary just passed around a memo, stating that the unit will open one hour early on thanksgiving, you know i don't approve of this, because i already come in early enough, and now i have to come in at 4:15 AM to be hooked up at 4:30 AM. Come now! enough is enough, so i will see, if i am still sporting this cath at that time. take care and all the best to my followers. Glo